Our world at risk

At no other point in modern history has humankind faced such an array of familiar and unfamiliar risks and hazards, interacting in a hyperconnected and rapidly changing world. The increasing number of reported medium- and large-scale disasters reflects a complex interaction of factors. Population growth and expanded settlements put more people and infrastructure in the path of existing hazards, and there is an increase in frequency and intensity of climatic hazards due to climate change (Van Aalst, 2006; IPCC, 2012, 2014a, 2018a; Otto et al., 2018).